This invention relates to scoreboards and devices for displaying point totals, tallies, or other indicia associated with sporting events, games, contests, and the like, and in particular to a scoreboard which is portable and simultaneously displays the same score on both sides thereof in response to a single setting operation.
Scoring devices are used during sporting events, contests, games, and the like to remember and display the accumulated points or status of each individual or team.
One of the simplest forms of keeping score involves the use of a pencil and paper. Indeed, even the most sophisticated scoreboardsof this computerized era, still employ an "official scorekeeper" with a pencil and paper (or score pad) to keep track of a wide variety of information and events that transpire during the game or contest, only a fraction of which is ultimately displayed on the scoreboard. However, as the number of spectators increases, it becomes increasingly necessary for the scorekeeper to display the "score," and other selected indicia, associated with the game or contest, in large enough symbols for all to see. Hence, the scorekeeper supplements the use of the simple pencil and paper with a whole spectrum of scoreboard devices--from a simple chalk and chalkboard to the multi-million dollar, computerized, electronic scoreboards.
While the electronic and electric scoreboards of the past few decades have been very successful for the professional and quasi-professional competitive games and contests, such as the inter-school, collegiate, and professional levels, their overall cost and complexity have kept them beyond the reach of the non-professional, recreational type games and contests, such as those of the neighborhood, intra-school, church, and other similar groups. Moreover, games, contests, and the like of these recreational type groups typically take place in varied locations, from a vacant lot or park to a rented gym, thus making the use of the more complex, immovable, electically-dependent, scoreboards impractical.
An important factor associated with the use of any scoreboard is the ease with which the "official scorekeeper," or his designate, can set the scoreboard to display the desired score. In this respect, the elecrical/electronic scoreboards are ideal because they are typically mounted in a highly visible location(s) and are easily controlled by the scorekeeper through the use of a readily accessible control panel. Unfortunately, however, such scoreboards are impractical for the non-professional, recreational type groups, for the reasons stated above--i.e., they are too expensive and are not readily moved from one location to another. Therefore, a critical need exists for a simple, low cost, mechanical, portable scoreboard that is easily and readily set by the scorekeeper to display the desired score, in large enough characters or symbols for all to see.
All prior art methods of displaying scores by a simple, low-cost, portable method with which this inventor is familiar, e.g., chalkboard, flip-charts, peg boards, and the like, suffer from at least one of three defects: (1) the "scorekeeper" does not have direct access to the actual display device, thereby necessitating the use of a third person who must operate the scoreboard at the scorekeepers direction; (2) the scorekeeper must sort through a collection of scoring symbols before finding the one(s) to be displayed, thereby creating undue delays and possibly diverting the scorekeeper's attention from the game or contest underway; or (3) the scorekeeper cannot conveniently position the scoreboard so that both he and the spectators can see it and the game or contest at the same time. Moreover, such prior-art systems typically display relatively small scoring symbols, thus making it difficult for spectator and performer alike to see the score thus displayed.